(1) (this is the basics of what happened, there are many more details I won't include...because I don't have time to sit on my computer all day...sorry, also, I live in Waco so I and my family were very close to this story, though I was very young when it actually happened)
A 53 day standoff that happened near Waco, Texas, involving doomsday cultists (Branch Davidians) led by David Koresh, and government agents. The Branch Davidians were alleged to have abused children, stockpiled weapons, and practiced polygamy at their compound at Mount Carmel, a rural area a few miles away from the city of Waco. These concerns increased to the point that the local paper, The Waco Tribune-Herald, backed by the community, began to pressure the authorities to take action against the Davidians. This is when the FBI and the BATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms) decided to raid the compound. The Branch Davidians barricaded themselves inside a large building on the compound (after 4 agents and 5 Davidians were shot and killed), they were in there for 50 days, while the agents tried to negotiate with Koresh to release the children and other innocent people in the building. The building they were in caught fire on day 51, April 19, killing 76 Davidians (27 of them children) including Koresh. Most of them didn't even try to flee the building. No one knows for sure if the fire was set by the agents or the Davidians, and there is evidence supporting both sides.
While it is sad that this happened, it is not comparable to atrocities such as Tienemen square, because the government agents were going after *armed criminals*, NOT peaceful, unarmed protestors. While innocent people were involved, they were not the targets of the raid. They were the people the agents were there to try and save. While they were unsuccessful and made many mistakes, even lieing about some of their mistakes, it is misleading to label their actions as malicious.

(2) The only thing my hometown is known for. Well that and Dr Pepper...

(1) The Waco Texas Massacre occured in 1993, lasted for almost 2 months and resulted in nearly 100 deaths.

An incident identical to the Tienamin Square Massacre that occured in Waco Texas, under the leadership of an identical regime.

This was a blatent violation of due process, and posse comitotus, in that a military tank was utilized in the massacre.

Timothy McVeigh unjustly avenged the massacre by lowering himself to the same level as the Clinton Administration by taking out the Federal building in Oklahoma City, and murdering as many innocent people as the Clinton Administration murdered in Waco.

The NRA made a very accurate assessment of Clinton's BATF when they called them "Jack-Booted Thugs", due to the Waco Texas Massacre.

If I remember correctly, the Davidians fired first at the ATF agents, wounding many of them severely...It was only after they fired first that the FBI decided to go in with there tank. The Davidians were involved in illegal acts (Um, the weapons they fired at ATF agents were illegal weapons) and they were stock piling weapons, with the possible intent to overthrow government organizations. They got what was coming to them in my opinion, and i firmly stand beside those ATF and FBI agents who took the davidians down.